UEFA president: Super Cup final ‘pilot test’ for bringing back fans to stadiums

UEFA “can learn a lot” from the event scheduled to be held at the Puskas Arena on Sept. 24 about what it can do for the next season, the Slovenian official told an online European Club Association (ECA) conference. He added, however, that UEFA would have to adhere to the measures imposed by the governments of the countries hosting the matches.

The UEFA Super Cup final will see Europa League winner Sevilla face Champions League winner Bayern Munich.

UEFA has ruled that up to 30 percent of the 67,215-seat Puskas Arena can be taken by fans, with 3,000 tickets available for the supporters of each of the finalists. All spectators will have their temperatures checked before entering the stadium and will be required to wear face masks, use hand sanitisers and adhere to physical distancing rules.

All ticket holders will be subject to mandatory health checks upon entering the country and will have to present a negative coronavirus test no older than 72 hours.

Socialists call on govt to cancel UEFA Super Cup final

The opposition Socialists have called on the government to cancel the UEFA Super Cup final set to be held in Budapest on Sept. 24, saying the event would only aggravate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Lawmaker Ildiko Borbely Bango told an online press conference on Tuesday that while the prime minister and the head of the Prime Minister’s Office had emphasised multiple times the need to prevent the import of the virus from abroad, “it appears that this does not apply to the soccer players and fans coming from abroad”.

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has made its way to Hungary in recent weeks, Borbely Bango said, adding that her party prioritised the protection and the health of the Hungarian people.

“We demand that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government immediately call off the Super Cup final,” she said. “If they truly put the health and protection of the Hungarian people first then it’s no question that Hungary can’t host this match.”

Borbely Bango also said the Socialists will submit to parliament a package of proposals for preventive measures concerning the pandemic. The proposals include making coronavirus tests free of charge and an 80 percent salary coverage for those who have lost their jobs or stand to lose them. The party will also propose extending the period of eligibility for unemployment benefits from three months to nine, doubling family benefits, the introduction of a 13th-month family benefit, restoring the Swiss indexation method for the calculation of pensions and raising the lowest pensions, she said.